Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee and Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore Constituency, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie has taken on the World Health Organization (WHO) for cautioning Ghana and other countries against purchasing fake and overpriced vaccines through middlemen.
The WHO warned Ghana and other countries against purchasing vaccines through intermediaries without doing due diligence.
This was after an investigation by a Norwegian newspaper, Verden Gang (VG) alleged that Ghana is buying the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines at an inflated price of $19 per dose despite the global market price of the vaccine hovering around $10.
The newspaper also alleged that one of the middlemen Ghana is dealing with in its bid to procure the Sputnik V vaccines is wanted by the Norwegian police for alleged financial crimes.
Lead Investigator with the newspaper, Markus Tobiassen, who questioned the numbers put out by the government of Ghana on the vaccines procurement, took the matter to the WHO demanding for answers.
Responding to the issues raised by the newspaper, the WHO advised Ghana and other countries to cross-check with manufacturers when dealing with middlemen to ascertain the legality of the transaction and to ensure that the vaccines are approved by the organization.
According to the WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicine and Health Products, Mariangela Batista Galvao Simao, the organization has noted with concern falsified and substandard vaccines in circulation on the global market which are sold at inflated prices by middlemen to unsuspecting countries and organizations and thus, urged the country to be wary in its desperation to secure vaccines for the vaccination of Ghanaians.
But reacting to the WHO’s advice to the country, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie slammed the WHO for what he said is an insulting advice to the country. He insisted that the country does not need the advice of the organization on following due processes to procure vaccines.
Dr. Ayew Afriyie argued that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) of the country is one of the best regulating agencies in the world and has the capacity to assess the veracity of any vaccine and approve same thus, the WHO’s advice is demeaning to the country and its regulating agency.
“I don’t need the WHO to come to Ghana to advise me on such a position I find as primary and basic. Look at what she said, that under circumstances of public health emergencies because of the desperation, you may have fake and inflated product dealing with middlemen. But look, the Sputnik vaccine by virtue of the protocols of acquisition, you necessarily must deal with a middleperson so I don’t need the WHO person to advise me on that.
What does the WHO person mean by fake? Ghana’s FDA is excellent. Which other FDA in Africa has same track record as ours. That WHO officer’s comment is also insulting. She talks to Ghanaians as if we don’t have an FDA to verify and also approve a drug for usage. They approved the use of Sputnik so advising us that we should be aware of fake stuff coming when every batch of every consignment, a sample will be taken to FDA is insulting,” he said.
